I could feel Cern in the room, as if his energy was crackling out around him in his anger. It swelled around me as Isaac was wrenched off the broken marble floor and lifted up into the air by what seemed invisible hands. The same hands that had once dragged me through the forest, I imagined. I watched in stunned silence as the vampire was stretched out, his arms out at his sides as if he were nailed to a cross and he let out a sound of pain, his eyes going wide. Cern didn't physically touch him, but he was cutting into him regardless. A deep gash ripped itself through his shirt and chest, opening him to the white bone of his sternum, and blood, dark and shimmering oddly in the light, splashed down onto the marble below him.

The god didn't stop there. Suddenly, Isaac was flying passed me to crash into the wall, smashing through the dark wood, and plaster came crumpling down on the floor. For a moment I could only stare, reaching out to touch his arm, but he was suddenly being dragged back to the center of the huge room at Cern's feet. More deep gashes opened themselves across his body, spilling out blood and his cries of pain. One of the gashes ran the length of his abdomen, down to the bone again, and I covered my mouth to muffle a cry when I watched one of his ribs snap right in front of me. Then another, and another, and then his arm cracked to an awkward angle, and he let out another hoarse sound of agony.

I had never heard Isaac in real pain, and I had to admit the sound was unsettling. It twisted my stomach, but at the sight of the many bodies he had left behind I found myself wondering if it wasn't a little bit of karma finally making its way back to him. Despite whether he deserved it or not, I did not enjoy watching him suffer, nor the empty expression on the god's face as he inflicted the toture.

Cern let out a growl, deep, menacing, and inhuman and Isaac sputtered, blood exploding from his mouth in a spray that would have misted across the god if the droplets hadn't evaporated on contact. Cern lifted his hand, his palm turned toward the floor, and slowly moved it down. As he did, Isaac was crushed against the marble slowly. I watched as his chest seemed to compact down into itself and the marble beneath him began to crack under the pressure.

"Enough Cernnunos." I said suddenly, surprising myself by being able to speak at all.

The god's blazing, antifreeze colored eyes snapped up to me and the force that bore down on Isaac vanished. The vampire coughed wetly and slung himself onto his side. With his broken arm cradled against his chest, he pushed himself slowly onto his knees, sagging, and clenched his jaw. With a swift jerk, he swung his broken arm around, cracking the bone back into place and spat a large amount of blood onto the floor. His eyes were on Cern, still black, and now deep and furious, but as he moved to advance on the god, his body gave beneath him and he crumpled back onto the floor with a curse, rolling onto his back. His expression was one of confusion, and the god sneered above him.

"I have stopped you from speedily mending yourself leech. You will suffer your injuries as all of your victims."

"Oh?" Isaac managed to groan, blood splattering out down his chin. I had wrapped my arms around myself now, eyes still wide and frightened as Cern turned his glowing gaze back on me and began to move toward me.

"He attacked me." I said softly. I was struggling to remember the anger I had felt before Cern had arrived and turned Isaac into a lump of broken flesh. The fear, however, was strong and fresh. Isaac hadn't restrained himself. Hadn't even tried, he'd simply come after me. "He actually attacked me."

"You are lucky I chose now to look in on you, human. He would have killed you as well."

"Liar," Isaac laughed, but he began coughing too heavily to speak again.

A flash of rage went through me, white hot and so fierce that it made me tremble. My fists opened and closed at my sides as I processed his words. The fact that he was asking for my praise when he saved my life, and thinking back to when I had called to him and been ignored. Now Isaac had tried to eat me, as if I was one of his common snacks, and I couldn't help the hurt that came with that realization, though it was ridiculous. I had actually begun to think that the vampire cared for me in some way, that he would protect me. He certainly acted as if he cared for me at times, or was he simply playing a part? Was he only pretending as he had in the beginning? If that was the case, I wouldn't be able to stand what an idiot I was.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked. Despite my anger there was a glimmer of selfish hope that he was changed in some way, that his actions had not been his own and that this was all a big mistake, though the healing wound on my throat would suggest otherwise.

"An emotional response to something, I would assume," Cern replied coolly stopping in front of me and crushing that hope. "These creatures are very sensitive, despite the parts they like to play. Everything about their person has been heightened, their senses and emotions. When they lose control of themselves, they can be quite destructive." Cern turned back to me. "In his vulnerable state, he could not resist you it seems. I'm sure next time he will reconsider."

From his place on the floor Isaac flipped the god off, but Cern didn't seem to catch it, or was ignoring it for now.

"You drew his attention amidst a frenzy," Cern continued. "The leech has gone rabid, blood-drunk."

"Is it permanent?" I asked my eyes were locked on Isaac. He was lying on his back, eyes closed and rigid with pain. The brief show of pride had withered away the moment his arm hit the floor.

"It can be. Consuming blood overwhelms the vampire with euphoria." He glanced around the room, "By the count of corpses, I'd imagine his pain was substantial." He chuckled to himself, glancing back at the vampire, "At least it is now."

"So you're telling me Isaac isn't off his rocker yet and that he'll be back to normal?"

"More or less."

I nodded, taking this in and letting the panic finally subside. Then with a deep breath I turned back to Cern,

And slapped the bastard.

The god didn't know what to do at first. His head hadn't turned with the blow as I'd expected, and now my hand throbbed as if I'd punched a solid wall of marble. He simply stood there, staring down at me in confusion. I didn't give him a chance to go into a rage, not when I was due one first.

"You let them hurt me." I growled out, hands balled into fists. "I called for you, for help, and you ignored me. What the hell is wrong with you? They were going to rape me Cern! And you were just going to stand by and-"

"Silence." He said suddenly, cutting me off with fury in his tone, though I didn't know what exactly he was angry at. For me or the fact that I'd hit him. "You were attacked?"

"More than attacked. If it hadn't been for the other wolves I would have-"

"You were in the company of werewolves?" His eyes narrowed and he turned his head to Isaac who let out a groan of pain. "And your leech allowed them to molest you?" There was a loud crack and Isaac curled around himself a moment, but when he collapsed back onto the floor I could see another of his ribs had been snapped and was pushing against his side, pressing up on the pale skin as if it might burst through at any moment.

"No, he wasn't there. He had to leave me with them."

"He left you with werewolves?" Isaac made another sound of agony and rolled onto his back, spitting blood onto the floor as something else inside of him was broken.

"Not by choice, it was a whole big thing. He-"

"Mira," Isaac said suddenly, his voice strained with pain, "For fuck's sake, stop talking!"

"You be quiet." I snapped at him. "You tried to eat me. You deserve a little pain for once."

"I'll be happy to return the favor." He hissed, and then let out a groan when Cern slammed his body down into the marble, widening the cracks and splitting the flesh on his skull. Deep red rushed down the side of his face and dripped off his chin onto the floor and he went obediently silent.

"Threaten her again and I will kill you here, vampire, regardless of her feelings for you." Cern's eyes were bright and glowing in his anger, casting light over all that he surveyed, "You were entrusted with this girl's safety and you have failed. You've begun to mistakenly believe that she is yours, when you are but her guardian. I am of mind to take her away from you."

"You're not taking me anywhere." I snapped, stepping back away from him. "As far as I'm concerned the both of you can go fuck yourselves."

That garnered an arched look from the god, but I didn't bother censoring myself anymore. Not when he had proven that he didn't give a shit about me. "Isaac's fuck-ups aren't the point."

"Gee thanks." The vampire muttered through his clenched teeth, but we ignored him now.

"You ignored me Cernnunos. For once I called to you for help and you ignored me. You're supposed to keep me safe."

"You make such things extremely difficult when you continuously put yourself in danger." He snapped back just as quickly.

"All the danger I've known is because of you and Isaac. How the hell was I supposed to know that the wolves would want to eat me alive more than the vampires?"

The room was crackling with his energy again. He stared at me now like he never had before, enraged by my claim and my anger toward him, and something I didn't understand. I was furious yes, but I wasn't making anymore stupid mistakes tonight like slapping him or baiting Isaac, so I didn't push him. He closed his eyes a moment drawing in a deep breath.

"What the hell is wrong with you now?" I demanded unintentionally, and then silently scolded myself for not following my 'no screw ups' rule seconds after making it. Then again, this was me, when did I not fuck things up for myself?

"This place," he said, his eyes shifting from one corner of the room to the next. He didn't seem himself; the cool confidence that always enveloped him was gone. He was tensed and agitated, which probably didn't mean anything good for me.

"What's wrong with it?" I looked around, trying to see what he did, but it was only Isaac's front hall; A huge entrance room with great twin staircases the curved up along the side walls and a set of double doors on the first floor between them. Art that spoke of a morbid collector through scenes of torment, witch burnings, and demons feasting on the poor humans at their feet. A floor of light marble in patterned diamonds. It was nothing but an obscenely rich and eccentric man's house.

Cern didn't agree.

"How do you stand it?" he asked, opening and closing his fists at his sides. The light in his eyes was growing brighter, as it had before the Fae. The green glow cast dimly across the marble as he gazed at it.

"Stand what?"

"How do you stand this confinement? Walls, closing in on everything. I can hardly stretch my jaws." He turned, eyes scanning across the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. Everywhere, as if he were locked in a cage and searching for his freedom. When he spoke again, his teeth were sharp and savage. "Even the air is thin. Lifeless. How do you breathe here?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but had nothing to say. What did one say to that? I recalled his temple, how the halls had been vast. The bedroom had been enormous, the ceiling open and stretching off into the sky as if they had been one. Had it been for more than his vanity?

I can hardly stretch my jaws. The comment suddenly made me shudder.

The air around us had begun to vibrate and thicken, all emanating from him. His agitation swelled around him to electrify the air, and the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stood on end. The pressure would only grow, and in this room with him, I was beginning to understand his agitation. Now I couldn't breathe. I was too heavy and the longer we stayed the worse it would get. I jumped into motion, grabbing his hand, though he flinched at the contact, and pulled him toward the door.

"Calm down. We'll just go outside."

As if on cue, my next step was into the grass of Isaac's vast front lawn. I took a moment to reorient myself, letting Cern pull from my grasp. He closed his eyes, head leaning back to take a deep breath of the fresh air. As he exhaled, the pressure that built around him began to dissipate and I was free to breathe freely as well.

"OK." I said, watching him as he gazed up at the sky, the light in his eyes dimming to its usual muted glow. "So now I have to ask," I couldn't help my smile at having witnessed the closest thing to a god's panic attack, "are you claustrophobic?"

His attention snapped back to me, his eyes flashing in warning. "Do not insult me. I am no spineless human, and I do not fear confinement."

"Uh-huh." I nodded, holding up the hands of surrender. "Then what was that?"

He growled softly, but the irritation bled from his expression. "You made me…angry, and excited my atoms into frenzied motion. My form, this shape, it is not what it was. It appears smaller, but…" He stared intently at the ground a long moment. "My energy is too great to reside in such a small space. It is possible, and will bring me no real harm, but…uncomfortable."

"Back to the 'shape is not my shape' part," I said, frowning. "Are you telling me that the way I see you isn't real?" A shudder passed down my spine at the thought. "But I…we slept together! If you aren't this then what the hell do you look like?" I clenched my fists, unaffected by the intensity of his gaze, "Show me."

"I cannot." He replied evenly.

"Oh god." I said, stomach turning, "You're crazy looking aren't you? Bumpy or scaled or…" my eyes snapped open wide and I stared at him, "Please tell me you aren't a tenticled slime-thing. I don't do well with oozing fluids." I had a horrible flash of myself in one of those disgusting Japanese hentais of girl's being molested by great tenticled beasts. He tilted his head slightly, frowning at my panicked tone. I opened my mouth to continue my fearful rant, but he spoke over me.

"I am Power." He said, and the air crackled with his energy again as if to prove it. "I am your earth and your oceans. When the wind blows your trees, they sing my name. I am the sun and the stars. Life and Death, and I am not limited to any single form."

"But-"

"This face is not my face, and yet it is." He lifted his hand, starring down at his fingers as if they were foreign, "In this place, on this plane, I appear as Man, because you wish it so."

I jumped when his eyes snapped back up to me, the glow returning to them like back-lit absinth. "You all claim that faith is all you need but you have always given a face to that which you worship, so your minds give me form. Force and compact me into a body that isn't my own. You give me a face that you can love, something you can admire. Pretty and pleasant, but it has never been mine. I am magnificent, and forever, stretching to the ends of time and curling back again. I am beyond any physical form, this," he motioned to encompass his body, "is simply what I must become to walk among you."

"So that's a no to the slime?"

"Mira." He said simply, exasperated, as if he had the right to be short with me now, and I clenched my fists again, a spark of irritation reigniting my rage. He'd distracted me with his panic attack, but now I was back to the anger, back to betrayal and fury that he would leave me to horror and death without so much as a batted eyelash.

"You told me this ring was for protection once," I said holding up my hand. "It did nothing. You did nothing."

After a long moment the god sighed and to my utter shock, went down on one knee in front of me, bowing his head. "You are not wrong. Forgive me Mira. I promised that you would be protected and I have neglected this responsibility."

My mouth bobbed a moment, nearly spilling out an acceptance for his apology from shock, but I quickly bit it back. I understood the magnitude of this gesture, that a God would lower himself to kneel at my feet was no small thing. While it astounded me, I couldn't help the bitter edge in my gut. I crossed my arms, but my voice wasn't edged anymore. "Why didn't you save me?"

Cern's anti-freeze colored eyes trailed up to mine and he sighed, "I was…otherwise engaged."

"You had more important things to do." I translated, clearly displeased by the thought.

The god stood then, taking my hand. "Do not twist my words, little one, I did not ignore you. I know you believe me to be omniscient, but I have my faults, as few as they are." I tried to pull from his grasp at that, but he jerked me back into place and took my other hand. "The truth is I neglected many duties in my slumber. Some which I should have passed to those that remained watchful, but my pride would not allow it. In my absence I have let things slip into chaos. I was righting these mistakes when you called for me. My focus was on these tasks, and your call was lost among the thousands of voices that speak my name. Forgive me. It will not happen again."

I stared at him a long time until finally I growled out a noise of frustration and accepted that this was the best apology I would get from the god. More so I was irritated that this excuse was so damned logical and I could not contest it with petty things like my single tiny human life.

"Fine." I snapped, this time when I pulled away from him, he allowed it and I crossed my arms again. "But you owe me answers Cern. Right now. Since you seem so forthcoming tonight, no more dodging."

"That is acceptable. I will tell you what I can." He nodded slowly, watching me closely. I decided to start small.

"The wolves called you the Green Man. They seemed to worship you as their god." He nodded, "And then one of them touched my ring and it…changed, or moved, or something."

He shrugged, "That ring is forged of the fires of my being. It is a part of me gifted to you. Its change was nothing more than a reaction to what is also of me."

"Of you?" I repeated with a frown, "What do you mean?"

"You must understand that the creatures that exist in this world did not simply spring up into being. They were the work of higher powers and…curiosity. There was a time when I was angry with human life, the stink and the cruelty in it, angry that despite his every advantage, Man desired more. He could turn everything he touched into ruin. Man attacked my forests, I had been happy to allow him the use of my green to build his homes and protect his family, but he had grown avaricious. He lost his respect for my gifts and took what he wanted without gratitude, as if he was owed my blessings for simply existing."

Cern sighed heavily and glanced at the tree line, far off to the left of the property. "I wondered for a time if I might improve man. I gathered a small number of humans together, and I…experimented. I gave them the keen instinct of my beloved forest animals. Heightened their senses, their agility. I wanted to build myself a race of soldiers to protect my green, that would love it as I did. Wolves have always held a certain appeal to me. Fierce and loyal and strong. I decided that Man could learn from their example and so I crafted him a second form. I gave him the gift of change."

"Are you telling me that you created werewolves?" The awed shock in my tone made the god smile and he nodded once.

"Among other things. They were my children, and my great achievement," his smile faded, "but they disappointed me. The beast in them only amplified their human natures. I realized that I had only succeeded in giving Man an easier way to destroy, so I gave my creations a weakness, I twisted what had been a gift into a disease and stole away the ease with which they had shifted form, replacing it with agony. Only those that were strong enough, in body and in mind could survive my gift. Should those that were prove themselves unworthy, I whispered the secret to those I trusted. Silver, used to purify the blood, was now a lethal poison. I had hoped that my mistake might be rectified when they died away, but I had made my children too strong. They endured, and have to this day."

"Couldn't you just snap your fingers and make them all dead?" I asked, but he shook his head.

"There are rules to creation. Despite the failure of a species, I cannot simply destroy them. Why else would Man still roam this earth if he could have been so easily crushed by his maker?"

"Who made Man?" I asked eagerly, but Cern only smiled slyly and remained silent. I huffed at this, kicking the dirt below me, and then looked back up at him, "So you created the Fae as well then, since you call them your 'children' too?"

His smile faded slightly at that. "The Fae were a collaboration of sorts. Experimentations preformed by other curious powers. I contributed to a strain or two of their race, but many were hatched through the coupling of Man and Demon. I took them under my protection because they were so closely tied to the Earth as my wolves were, and their makers had abandoned them, but they are not entirely mine, and most I would have preferred never to have existed at all."

"If they aren't really yours why do they worship you? Why do they all stay in that forest?" I recalled what the tiny werewolf children had said, about the Green Man locking the Fae away in Windsor forest so they couldn't hurt anyone.

Cern sighed. "That is not all of the Fae, Mira. Those you saw were of the Unseelie court, the malicious and the hateful. They reside in Windsor because I have caged them there."

"Then why would they worship you?" I asked again.

"Because I have also given them great gifts. You only saw the smallest part of the forest, but it stretches on endlessly. I created replicas of their homes, free of the humans they despised. It would be impossible for a human to walk the entirety of that forest, but if you could you would find yourself in every corner of the world, every terrain. I gave them a home where they could no longer cause mischief, and gave them the right to any human who might wonder into their trees."

"Well that's shitty of you." I frowned.

"It was better than the alternative, Mira. I have saved your race from horror. The forest is warded, it isn't often that a human finds themselves inside of it; generally they are overwhelmed by a fear they cannot explain that tells them to run. Those too ignorant to listen to this warning, I consider beyond my help and free game to the Fae within the trees."

I recalled the night Isaac had driven us into the forest. The way my every instinct had screamed that I run far away and never look back, that there were things in the trees that wished to harm me, and would if I entered. If I hadn't been in the car, I don't think I would have been able to enter the forest on my own, out of fear. Knowing that this had been Cern's doing was slightly comforting.

"So what is an Un-see-whatever?" I asked. I'd settled myself down in the grass now, indicating that I was ready for a long conversation and that he had better get ready too. The god watched me a moment, before sighing heavily.

The grass beneath me rumbled, trembling under me and I scrambled back up to my feet as roots, thick and smooth wound themselves up from the ground, curling themselves into sort of chair. I stared at it a moment, arching a brow before tentatively taking a seat as he grew another chair across from mine. They were much like the throne he had erected in the clearing.

Sometimes I think he just liked showing off for me.

"Thank you," I sighed running my fingers through my hair and realizing it was a mess of tangles. My fingers trailed down to the mark on my throat, now just sore skin, where Isaac had bit me. Isaac had commented on my healing, and for a moment I turned my attention to my bared torso and the red lines that should have been healing gashes. Remembering that my shirt was very ruined and hanging open.

"Can you…fix this, or something?" I asked gently and the god gave a slow nod, but didn't move or reply. I was about comment on this when I shifted in my seat and found that my shirt was repaired, as if it had never been torn at all. "Thank you."

Again he nodded and we fell into silence as I geared myself up to ask the questions I really needed answers to.

"The wolves hurt me." I began and he watched me without expression from his chair, I noticed now that it was slightly more detailed than mine. "One of them tore into me, but I'm fine now. I'm healing faster than I should."

"You are." He affirmed softly.

"Why? What did you do to me Cern? Ever since that first night in the woods I've been…different, what did you change?"

Cernnunos sighed heavily and leaned forward in his chair. It seemed he was just has hesitant to explain as I was to ask. Thankfully he answered all the same. "I did not change you, Mira. I gifted you with a part of me, yes, but it has done nothing but expedite your healing and enhance what you have always been."

"What am I?" I asked with a frown, fearing what he might say. This was not what I had expected.

Cern smirked, "You are different."

My eyes narrowed slightly in warning, "Define different."

The god sat back in his chair without losing his smile. "You have met with your leeches seer, a human with preternatural power. Through the ages Man has coupled with supernatural beasts and begotten children, or they have been exposed to some power and retain a small bit of it. Because of this it is not uncommon for humans to be born with some small enhancement. An instinct that allows them to sense the magic around them, though most don't even know what it is they are feeling. It is not enough to benefit them, nor do they ever know that they are different. However, on rare occasions, there comes a human who is connected with this power, like your psychic. Still they have little ability to do much with it, they are still human. The girl is a rare gem, to have such magic at her disposal, but as you saw, it is not without price. The human body is not meant for such power, and her mind has broken as a result of it."

"But I'm nothing like Lidia." I protested, "The only power I have seems to be the incredible ability to draw trouble like some kind of jinxed siren."

At this Cernnunos grinned widely and nodded. "Exactly, Mira."

"I'm not following."

"You've see it in your leech and the wolves, even the Fae. For reasons you do not understand, they persue you, they wish to feed on you, to copulate. Your scent entices them, some even lose control of themselves over it."

"I assumed it was because of you. I thought that the part of me that was you was driving people crazy."

"Not people." He chuckled softly, "Only creatures, the wolves, the leeches, the beasts of Windsor. They are the things that are drawn to you."

"But why," I asked, nearly coming out of my seat to get the answer, I felt desperate. "What am I?"

"Illectamentum."

"Is that a special metal?" I asked, only half serious.

"It is Latin for bait, enticement, temptation." He replied, "I have only ever seen one human born with this gift in its full. She was able to call to creatures, to exude a sense of worship from them. They fell at her feet and were willing to die for only her favor, but like you she could not control it for long. Worship became obsession and she was devoured alive by the beasts that loved her so that they might always keep her with them."

"They ate her?" I repeated softly, eyes wide. Cern noticed my distress and held up a hand to calm me.

"You are nowhere near her level of power, but your gift is similar. I realized this when I gave you my light. It made you glow, sweet Mira, and every Fae in the whole of Windsor turned at the feel of your power." He shrugged, "I was quick to stem the ability, but I could only crush so much of it down. It seems I have amplified it, and that cannot be changed now."

Cernnunos stood then and moved to kneel in front of me, taking my hand which had been trembling on my thigh. He smiled gently up at me and brush the hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear. "Do not fret, little one, I know that you are not ready for such an ability, I will keep it in check for you."

"In check?" I exclaimed with a harsh, humorless laugh, "I can't go anywhere without some monster deciding it wants to drag me off and eat me or…" I cleared my throat and blushed at the thought, "other things."

"I cannot change that." He said and there was real regret in his tone, "You are the Lure, Mira, with all the joys and sorrow that might bring."

I drew my hands from his and stood, pacing behind the tree-chair and keeping it between us. There it was, my answer. The reason for what had been done to me, for Isaac's initial interest, for why Cern had come from his great endless sleep to claim me, why the wolves had tried to tear into me, why Saskia and Jael had risked their god's anger to steal me away. Finally I had my answer, and suddenly I was even more confused.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." I said softly, wringing my hands. The god watched me, he'd noted that I was staying away from him and was kind enough to keep his distance, but I could tell he didn't want to. Once he moved to comfort me, but I flinched back and he went still again, sighing.

"Very well, Mira. What would you prefer we discuss?"

"I only have one more question for now." I was suddenly very tired, and all I wanted to do was crawl into my bed upstairs and sleep forever.

"Which is?"

I was doing my best to remain absolutely calm as I spoke to him, but it was becoming difficult. "You took the memories of my family."

"Correct." He nodded, this didn't seem to affect him at all.

"I remember their…" I paused to swallow and steel myself, "their deaths. Not everything, of course. Some parts are hazy, others are unbearably clear. Their faces are gone, but I remember the screaming, and the wolf tearing and…eating. I remember silver-painted nails digging into my arm as we ran and I know that must be my little sister Addy, but I can't picture a single other part of her." My voice grew thick with emotion, but I did my best to push it back. "I can hear my father roaring for us to run, my mother's screams, I remember that, but I can't remember them. Why? Am I getting the memories back?"

Cernnunos sighed slowly at the brittle hope in my voice, meeting my eyes levelly. "Our deal was final when you took the remaining years from the girl. You will not regain your memory Mira."

I think he was waiting for my outrage, but all he got was a nod and a quiet sniffle. After a moment, he moved toward me, and this time I didn't bother to flinch away.

"The truth of magic is that it is cruel. All things that bend the laws of our nature come at a steep price." Cern looked at me then , and I was startled by the empathy I found on his face. "That memory is one of deep impact. It is what set you on this path of gods and monsters. The trauma of it has scarred you to your core. It was inevitable that you would retain some fragments." He sighed, "But your pain comes from your price for the years you gained. The exchange offered cruelty and kindness at once because you were allowed to keep at least this small part of them. The only memory you will have of your family will be the agony in which they died."

"I think you should go now, Cern." I said then, my voice weighted with exhaustion.

Cern seemed to understand, and nodded, but did not disappear. "We must discuss the leech, Mira. I do not feel confident in my leaving you in his care, as I did before."

"Well should he attack me, I'll call. Maybe this time you'll be listening." I was being needlessly cruel for something he had already apologized for, but at the moment, I didn't care. My brain was racing, full of new knowledge, more questions, and fear. I didn't know how to process anything, and so I needed to sleep. That was the only thing I cared about. I began to walk toward the manor, only realizing now how far away from it he had taken us, but there was no need. As soon as I took my next step I was at the door and Cern was pulling it open for me.

"I will speak with you soon, Mira." He sighed, realizing there was no use in trying to force me to talk to him now. The air around me crackled and buzzed and then he vanished leaving behind only a pressure that made my ears pop before dissipating as well.

The entrance hall was the same as I'd left it, bodies strewn across the floor, blood everywhere, and most of the wooden paneling that decorated the walls was crumbling down from where Isaac had collided with it. The vampire was still lying on his back on the cracked indent of marble at the center of the room. After a moment of starring at him, I sighed and walked over.

"Isaac," I said gently, standing over him with a frown. "Can you stand?"

"No." he replied weakly, closing his eyes, "I think I'll just lie here a moment. I could do with a nice relaxing death."

I rolled my eyes and went down on a knee beside him. "Don't be dramatic. You'll be fine, you always are."

He smiled thinly at that, though his eyes remained closed. "I'm flattered, but I think you are far overestimating my tolerance for pain."

"I know it's more than mine," I shrugged.

"Yes, but you're a baby."

I scowled. "And you are a…suck." I couldn't think of anything more damning at the moment and it made the vampire laugh, though the sound was pained and colored with exhaled blood.

"I'm a suck," he repeated. "I envy your command over the spoken word. Such eloquence."

"If I sat on you, would it cause intolerable amounts of pain?"

He arched an amused brow. "That would depend on where you sat, lover."

I groaned in exasperation and rested my chin on my knee. "How can you be so irritating even when you're like this?"

"A gift," he sighed, shifting until something in his chest cracked and he grunted in pain. "Well, that's one rib back in place. Four to go."

"Jesus." I murmured, shivering at the thought.

"Cernnunos actually. I may be reading into things, but I don't think he likes me very much. Shame really, I'm awesome." I rolled my eyes again and he finally looked up at me. His smile however was devilish. "So, about this sitting. I'm thinking if you bounce around enough you might pop some things back into place."

"Should I respond to that, or just scowl deeply?"

He tried to shrug, but it made him wince and he stopped. "No need. I've guessed your answer with my clever deductive skills."

"Oh good," I smiled thinly and we lapsed into silence. When it seemed like I should leave however, Isaac reached out to clasp my hand. His grip was much less firm than it should have been, and I felt his spasms of pain as his body continued to push its pieces back into place.

"I'm sorry Mira," he said finally after a short hiss of discomfort. "Really, I never meant to hurt you, or scare you. I was just…" when he trailed off, I pulled from his grasp and looked at the cracked marble floor.

"I know," I said softly. "But those things you said about what you wanted to do to me. Were they true?"

I knew the answer, I just needed to hear him say it.

"Yes," he replied just as soft and I nodded.

"Then we might have a problem. How can I relax around you if I know that at any given moment, you're thinking about killing me?"

"I don't see how it changes anything." He grumbled, then at my arched stare cleared his throat. "You could take up pot. I hear smoking the Devil's Lettuce makes humans mellow…and hungry."

"Can't you get high?" I asked, curiosity making me ignore his attempt at redirection for the moment.

"Marijuana burns through my system too quickly. Opiates are better."

"Sucks," I shrugged, "Now back to your wanting to eat me."

The vampire sighed heavily, meeting my eyes. "I won't. If anything, trust that your god made his point clear."

"You still tried Isaac."

"I was wasted!" he exclaimed.

"And that's never going to happen again, is it?" I shook my head. "You can't expect me to take that chance."

The humor melted from his face then and Isaac sat up on his elbows, biting back his groan to watch me.

"So you'll run away with the god again? Are you serious?"

"I'm seriously considering it." I couldn't be sure, but for a moment he looked hurt by this, before the expression melted entirely from his face.

"I suppose that's it then," he said in a voice void of emotion. "Sanura will be despondent to have lost another child."

"And you?"

"My children were horrid little things, I can't imagine having more."

I couldn't speak than, at the thought of Isaac as a father. It seemed utterly wrong. While I wanted to know more about this impossible idea, I was good enough to focus myself.

"You know what I meant." I said slowly, shaking off the image of a tiny boy with black hair and bewitching patchwork eyes. I imagined Isaac's children might be like the werewolf pup Patrick, if a little more tactless.

Isaac sighed and lay back down on the marble. "I'll live," he replied finally. "I always do."

I wasn't sure how to take that, so with a silent nod I stood and left him to his healing.

"When you're finished putting yourself back together, you might try cleaning up the place. It already smells horrid in here. I'm not your maid."

"Sure thing, mom." He replied, just as plainly. Teasing without feeling anything about it. I couldn't be bothered to care, and without looking back, I climbed the stairs, avoiding the corpses and hurried to my room for that beautiful thing that would take me away from everything else.

Sleep.